1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to portable drying devices that are used to dry different applied materials such as paint, joint compound and the like. More particularly, the present invention is related to portable drying devices that are adapted to dry different areas of material that have been applied to a ceiling or wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When a contractor installs drywall on a ceiling or wall, different sheets of drywall are placed in abutment. The abutment between sheets of drywall are called seams. The seams of the drywall are typically covered with joint compound to create a smooth, uninterrupted surface. However, the joint compound is not applied in a single step operation. Rather, a first coat of joint compound is applied to the seams of the drywall. The first coat of joint compound is used to retain a paper or fiberglass joint tape in place. After the initial coat of joint compound dries, a rough sanding procedure is typically performed and a second coat of joint compound is applied. The second coat of joint compound is blended into the plane of the drywall, thereby eliminating the seam.
When the second coat of joint compound dries, the drywall is sanded to better blend the joint compound into the plane of the drywall. In certain applications, a third layer of joint compound may be applied to eliminate any flaws that were present in the second application of joint compound.
Depending upon the type of joint compound being used and other variables, such as air temperature and humidity, joint compound may take up to several hours to fully dry. Accordingly, if a contractor were to rapidly finish the application of a first coat of joint compound, that contractor cannot start the second coat of joint compound until the first coat dries. This causes a drywall contractor to waste time waiting for joint compound to dry, thereby greatly extending the amount of time required by a contractor to finish a job.
In an attempt to shorten the amount of time required for joint compound to dry, contractors often use fans to blow air past the drying joint compound. The use of a fan can quicken the dry time of joint compound by over fifty percent. However, thicker sections of joint compound can still take hours to dry. To further increase the speed at which joint compound dries, many contractors actively dry the joint compound with blow driers or other heated air sources. Using a heated air source, sections of joint compound can be dried in a fraction of the time previously required.
In order to use a heated air source, such as a blow drier, a contractor must hold the heated air source in close proximity to the wet joint compound. This requires a great deal of time and labor on behalf of the contractor. A need therefore exists for a device that can hold the heated air source in different positions for the contractor. In this manner, a contractor can dry one section of joint compound while applying another section of joint compound. In this manner, little time is wasted waiting for the joint compound to dry.
In the prior art, there are many devices that have been designed to hold a heated air source, such as a hair dryer, in a particular position. Many such prior art devices were designed to hold a hair dryer near a person's head so that they can use both their hands while drying their hair. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,154 to Payne, entitled, Stand And Holder For Hair Dryer.
A problem associated with such prior art hair dryer holders is that they lack the range of movement required to be useful in drying joint compound. Drywall is the material of choice when constructing interior walls and ceilings. Accordingly, joint compound is applied up and down the full length of walls and across the entire length of ceilings. In order for a support for a heated air source to be useful, it must be able to support the heated air source in a variety of different orientations from heights ranging from ground level to up to twelve feet. Such a device is set forth by the present invention as claimed and described below.